| Xbox One Heads Into Production |  By Paul Thurrott | On Tuesday, Xbox Chief Marketing Officer Yusuf Mehdi announced that Microsoft's new video game console, Xbox One, has headed into production. Mehdi noted that console preorders have "sold out," without providing a sales figure. But he deflected concerns about the Xbox One's $500 price tag.
"We are now producing in mass the Xbox One console," Mr. Mehdi said during an appearance at the Citi Global Technology Conference. "We recently just went into full production ... This will be the biggest launch we've ever done by a wide margin in terms of units shipped at launch." Mehdi didn't directly address many of the questions that surround the Xbox One these days. Related: "Xbox One Launch Missteps Could Cost Microsoft" | | ADVERTISEMENT |  Follow us on Twitter! Don't miss real-time updates on articles, virtual events, white papers, Essential Guides, webcasts, and more. Meet your peers and tell us what you think. Also look for us on Facebook and LinkedIn.
| | | While Sony has announced staggering preorder sales of its PlayStation 4 console of 1 million units, Mehdi only noted nebulously that the Xbox One preorders had sold out, without revealing how many units that entails. And where Sony has established November 15, 2013, as its PlayStation 4 release date, Microsoft has yet to reveal when it will ship Xbox One to customers. "We're on track for launch this November," Mehdi said. "We will announce the launch date shortly"
UPDATE: He wasn't kidding. Microsoft announced on Wednesday that the Xbox One would ship on November 22, 2013. When asked about the Xbox One's $500 price tag—a full $100 higher than that of the Sony PlayStation 4—Mehdi said that the prices of the two consoles were actually "pretty comparable," but didn't explain why that was so. (A PlayStation 4 customer who also purchases the separate PlayStation Camera, which is similar to the Kinect that Microsoft bundles with Xbox One, would pay a total of about $460.) Mehdi also addressed a central issue to console production: The company has never made money selling the actual devices. But this time around, Microsoft hopes to change that. "We're looking to be break-even or low margin at worse on hardware," he said of the Xbox One. "We make money selling additional games, services, and other capabilities on top. And as we can cost-reduce our box as we've done with the Xbox 360, we'll do that to continue to price reduce and get even more competitive with our offering." He also revealed a minor technical change: Microsoft slightly bumped up the graphics processing of the Xbox One at the last minute, pushing its GPU to 1.5GHz. It's unclear how this change will really impact the system, although Mehdi spoke vaguely about games that look "pretty incredible." Microsoft's central vision for the Xbox One, of course, is a continuation of its PC, tablet, and phone user experiences to the living room, and a deep level of integration between these device types. And he says that the market for the current-generation devices—Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo Wii—is about 300 million units, with the next-generation consoles growing the market from there. "The world for gaming is growing," he said. "It's the fastest-growing segment of all of entertainment in terms of our views as well as dollars spent. And we think that that is going to continue to grow in this generation." Related: "Microsoft vs. Sony in Dueling E3 Presentations" | | Comment on this article... | | IT/Dev Connections Speaker Highlight: Mary Jo Foley |  By Rod Trent
| Part of an ongoing series, we're highlighting the excellent speakers we have handpicked to present phenomenal and extremely valuable content at the IT/Dev Connections conference.
Today's speaker highlight is the knowledgeable yet adorable Mary Jo Foley. Mary Jo Foley has been a tech journalist for almost 30 years. She currently is the editor of the "All About Microsoft" blog on ZDNet. She also is the author of "Microsoft 2.0: How Microsoft Plans to Stay Relevant in the Post-Gates Era" (John Wiley & Sons) and co-host of the "Windows Weekly" podcast on the TWiT Network. Foley covers the people, products and strategies that affect Microsoft, its customers, its partners and its competitors, with a special emphasis on business-related topics.
Mary Jo's IT/Dev Connection sessions: Recently, we asked Mary Jo to give us a little information about herself. Here's what she shared: WITPRO: Give us a brief introduction to Mary Jo Foley. Mary Jo: I am a freelancer, whose primary gig is writing a blog on ZDNet called "All About Microsoft." (http://allaboutmicrosoft.com). This blog is written, edited and produced within the 450 square feet that I call home in midtown Manhattan. (I left/fled Seattle 14 years ago to come back to my East Coast roots.) In addition to living and working here, I also brew beer in my palatial space. I am very into craft beer and brew small batches (1 gallon each) in my kitchen as often as possible. And yes, it's true, I use geographic place names (like MS does) for my beer batches. I think I just passed Fargo... WITPRO: Describe the sessions you are presenting and why you feel the topic is important. Mary Jo: I'm going to be presenting a session on Microsoft's latest makeover. In spite of reorgs and CEO shifts, Microsoft is continuing to push ahead with its new charter to get devices and services – both its own and third parties' – into customers' hands. I have lots to say about the challenges and opportunities the company and its customers, partners and developers are facing as Microsoft moves into a new era. Along with my Windows Weekly cohost Paul Thurrott, I'll also be doing a Windows Weekly live taping from the conference on Thursday. This will be a great way for the live audience to ask questions on our TWiT netcast about the latest Microsoft-centric products and strategies. We'll cover news of the week, do software tips, enterprise updates and, of course, beer pick of the week! WITPRO: What should attendees expect to be able to take away from your sessions? Mary Jo: Attendees will be free to ask everything they've always wanted to know about Microsoft but been afraid to ask. And hopefully, I'll be able to come up with (mostly) plausible and realistic answers. Or at least be able to share what I know based on what I've heard from my contacts inside and outside the company. WITPRO: What is your primary reason to be excited about IT Connections? Mary Jo: This will be my second time speaking at IT Connections. Had a great time at the first, where there was excellent audience participation and questions. I'm betting this year, with all the changes happening at Microsoft, things will be even more interesting, exciting and (insert the adjective of your choice). WITPRO: What is the one key technology you believe is changing IT right now? Mary Jo: I really think the cloud is changing everything. Even companies that aren't yet sold on the cloud or testing/developing/deploying on the cloud should still be aware of what's happening on that front. And Microsoft has really stepped up its Windows Azure, hybrid cloud and Office 365 stories in the past year. It's key for IT pros and devs to stay current on what Redmond is thinking and doing on this front. WITPRO: Who would you suggest Microsoft hire to replace Steve Ballmer as CEO? Mary Jo: I am not sure who I'd suggest to be Microsoft's new CEO. I have a much longer list of candidates I hope and pray are not Microsoft's next CEO. (Far too long to list here.) I may be one of the last/only bloggers out there who doesn't feel qualified to make a recommendation on this front. We've seen plenty of former Softies and even some Microsoft competitors (hello, Marc Benioff) who've supplied all of us with more than enough mostly laughable ideas. If pushed to choose, I'd have to say Grumpy Cat gets my vote.
IT/Dev Connections runs from September 30 – October 4, at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas. IT/Dev Connections has been designed specifically for IT. You can read all about what IT/Dev Connections offers you HERE. And, there's still time to register! Here are some important resources to check out: Registration Windows, System Center, and Cloud Sessions Pre-con and Post-con Workshops Travel and Lodging Information Full Speaker List FAQ
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| Resources | Systems Management 2.0: How to Gain Control of Unruly & Distributed Networks
You might think that your network is impossible to manage…but we've seen worse. Join us for this free live seminar where you'll learn how to overcome management challenges and keep your network in control. Register now for this September 12th seminar.
Attack of the BLOB(s)!
No, this is not a sequel to the classic science fiction film "The Blob"…. Join us, September 18th at 12pm ET, for this free web seminar to De-Mystify SharePoint Data Protection and Optimization: Backup, Restore, RTOs, RPOs and... BLOBs. | | MORE RESOURCES |
| Events | Managing A Hybrid Virtualization Environment
The countdown is on! Join us Sept. 12 for or next virtual event, "Managing A Hybrid Virtualization Environment." You'll network with industry experts and peers as you brush up on best practices and techniques. Get in-depth knowledge on the latest industry news and technology without having to leave the office! Reserve your seat while there's still time.
Think you know "the cloud?"
Vendors and the media often refer to the cloud as a single entity.... in reality there are many different types of cloud solutions. Join us for this free webcast - you'll learn about different types of cloud solutions that your organization might be able to take advantage of, such as public, private, SaaS, IaaS and more! September 25th - Register Now. | | MORE EVENTS | |
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